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THIS BOOK WAS SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED THROUGH KICKSTARTER

AND PUBLISHED

on 27th January 2018

What’s in

this book?

‘Freed From Shame’ has been written to shed light on the reality of mental illness in the Church, not to condemn people, leaders or churches but, instead, to offer insight, education and practical advice on how to tackle this challenging subject. The book is written with user-friendly language, making it accessible to all. There are three sections in the book.

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Understanding mental health

A better awareness of mental health and what happens when it goes wrong, including specific conditions and what it’s like to live life in their shadow.

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Being understood

Real life stories that share experiences, help others to feel they’re not alone, and bring some reality to the everyday challenges that mental illness brings.

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Equipping the Church

Insight into practical approaches to remove stigma surrounding mental illness in the Church, and how to create a supportive environment.

Statistics report that an incredible 1 in 4 people will experience mental illness every year, so a quarter of our church congregations could well be suffering or be living with those who do.

Who should

read this book?

‘Freed From Shame’ is a book for anyone interested in mental health issues in the Church.

In particular, this book will help the following people.

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Church leaders ...

… who wish to gain a better understanding of specific mental illness and an awareness of what it is like for those living with mental health issues, to better provide pastoral support.

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People with mental illness ...

… who want to be understood and not feel alone.

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Friends, relatives and others ...

… supporting those with mental illness.

“As a church leader, I felt I needed to keep it quiet for as long as possible, hiding the symptoms and being very careful not to be drawn on what I was feeling.”

Dawn Holmes

Author

Dawn lives in Somerset with her husband, Colin, and they have five grown-up children, some of whom have flown the nest, and some who keep flying back! They have been part of a Newfrontiers church for many years and serve in a variety of ways. Dawn enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading and dabbling in papercrafts.

Her interest in mental health has grown as increasing numbers of people spoke with her regarding the Church’s response, prompting her to write this book.

Karen is an author, speaker and trainer with many years experience in mentoring. Through her company, Simplicate, Karen helps clients build courses, resources and training in a variety of sectors, including Early Years, substance misuse, mental health and family support, as well as writing resources for parenting, marriage preparation and discipleship at gettingreal.co.uk. She is passionate about creating people-focused tools that are both effective and easy to use.

Having worked with parents for many years, Karen continues to support families through her parenting website karentodd.family. She lives in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband and three daughters.

Karen Todd

Co-author

Karen Todd

Co-author

Karen is an author, speaker and trainer with many years experience in mentoring. Through her company, Simplicate, Karen helps clients build courses, resources and training in a variety of sectors, including Early Years, substance misuse, mental health and family support, as well as writing resources for parenting, marriage preparation and discipleship at gettingreal.co.uk. She is passionate about creating people-focused tools that are both effective and easy to use.

Having worked with parents for many years, Karen continues to support families through her parenting website karentodd.family. She lives in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband and three daughters.

“People at church try to help but often their words hurt or they quote Bible verses that make me feel shameful.”

“My church has been great at supporting me – they listen, draw alongside me when I feel like I can’t take another five minutes, and pray.”

“Often I feel like Christians don’t believe that a mental health illness is real. That I am ill because I have sinned and need to repent. Or that I am ill because I don’t have enough faith or I don’t rely on God enough. Quite often I feel guilty at church for having a mental illness.”

“One person from the church is all it took to invite me to come along and “do nothing” – no-one expected anything of me, just to sit and listen. She knew I was in a mess and couldn’t cope with expectations, or even conversation.””

“I feel as a Christian I shouldn’t be anxious because of what the Bible says about casting my anxieties on him, which can be the advice given by other Christians rather than practical help.”

“My church friends were initially supportive but became impatient when I wasn’t better after a couple of weeks.”

Workshop

Bookings

Booking available for 6-hour workshops.

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WORKSHOP (6 hours) - £295

6 hour workshop (e.g. 9.30am – 3.30pm)

An informative and interactive workshop for churches designed to:

Equip churches and individuals with both general and specific information on mental health issues.

Address what stigma and shame are.

Explore what churches and individuals can do practically to support people.

Look at positive steps towards change.

The day will include a mixture of talks, quizzes, discussion, brainstorming and Q&A time.